Controversial, helpful and finally put on hiatus, the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program from the Department of Energy (DOE) has had a tremendous impact on the current flock of plug-in vehicles. Before being paused in 2011, the ATVM handed out money to Ford ($5.9 billion), Nissan ($1.6 billion) Fisker Automotive ($528.7 million), and Tesla Motors ($465 million). That took care of around $8.3 billion of the Bush-era program's original budget of $25 billion, leaving aro

Elio Motors continues to move forward on building a high-efficiency three-wheeled vehicle for the masses. For proof, take a look at a new local news clip of the inside of an old General Motors factory in Shreveport, LA. This is where Elio is going to build the lightweight, 84-mile-per-gallon vehicle, and it has started opening the doors to the media.

Elio Motors is taking its green-is-good mentality to its factory equipment. The company, which is planning to make super-light three-wheeled vehicles that get 84 miles per gallon, will finally start making trikes next year. The plan is to sell off extra equipment from an old General Motors factory to do so.

What does the three-wheeled, super-efficient Elio have in common with a gas-guzzling Hummer? Both use a standard internal combustion engine in favor of a hybrid or electric setup, and the Elio will be built in the same Louisiana factory that once hummed to the tune of H3 production. The similarities end there.

If you think the fact that Elio Motors has taken 15,000 reservations for its high-MPG three-wheeler is something to scoff at, well, consider the fact that Honda sold less than 21,000 of its hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles combined last year. But, if you think that the company's claim that the trike is cleaner than a year's worth of farts from a cow? Well, go ahead and scoff.

Our math says that there must be 71 people a day signing up for the Elio Motors super-fuel-efficient three-wheeled vehicle. Michigan-based Elio says it's surpassed the 10,000-reservation threshold for its car, which is slated to start production next year. About 6,300 had signed up as of the end of last year.

Elio Motors has unveiled the new design for its super-fuel-efficient three-wheeled commuter car, and we're already liking the covered-wheel effect. The company's new version was shown off in a lovely shade of orange, and if that color is a nod to the Denver Broncos and their upcoming appearance in the Super Bowl, we'll be really impressed.

Elio Motors, the company that wants to sell you an inexpensive, fuel-efficient three-wheeled commuter car, has taken a big step towards that dream. It now looks like it will have a factory roof under which to assemble its 84-mile-per-gallon, $6,800 offering, thanks to the Caddo Parish Industrial Development Board (IDB).

We've seen lots of promotional images of the upcoming Elio three-wheeled, high-efficiency vehicle, but now Elio Motors is ready to show the trike to the world at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show, which starts next week. The vehicle will be on display at the ShowStoppers area of CES and is scheduled to arrive on the US market in about a year. "First quarter of 2015" is the official time frame.

Just what defines a three-wheeled vehicle? You'd think it would be the number of wheels, but the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) and its Three-Wheel Vehicle Working Group has been thinking about exactly this question, and has come up with a more nuanced definition that could have a big effect on the EV market. After all, we dare you to name all of the three-wheeled high-mpg or plug-in electric vehicles we've featured over the years.

Tell a hip-hop fan you've got a vehicle with three-wheel motion and they'll think of low-riders, '64 Impalas and hydraulics. Michigan-based Elio Motors has another idea, and the Detroit News says it's a few beats closer to reality.